HOUSE    OF    REPRESENTATIVES,   Dec.  30,    1S64.— To   be 
printed.  ' 

[By  Mr.  Snead.] 


>   1"  1.1 
AMENDMENTS 

To  the  Bill  to  he    entitled   An  Act    to    authorize  the   Consolidutipn  of 
Com2>a.nics,   Battalions   and  Regiments. 


Strike  out  tlie  1st  section,  and  insert : 

1  Section  1.   Wlienever  the  average  '  strength  of  the  several 

2  compnmV-«5  fnvmiDg  a Itn^f-  ilion  or  regiment  shall  be  less  than  forty 

3  (40)  men,  excluding  prisoners  of  war,  men  perniaiiently  detached 

4  from   their  commands  by  disability,  detail  or  otherwise,  men 

5  absent  without  leave,  and  deserters,  the  general  officer  com- 

6  manding  the  department  in  which  such  battalion  or  regiment 
*7  may  be  serving,  slinll   fx-thwitb  so  consolidate  such  companies, 

8  thftt  €&ch  n'eWconip;iiiy  shall  have  "present  for  duty'*  at  least 

9  the  minimum  number  of  men   required  by  law ;  and  ho  shall 

10  immediately  thereafter  organize  such  new  companies  into  bat- 

11  taliona  and  r<^giment8 ;  and  he  may  in  like  manner  consolidate 

12  independent  or  unattnchcd  companies,     r.n)  tiridi is  fr.,       'fr'Tent 

13  States  shall  not,  witfiout  tlieir  consent,  i..-  ronsoliu,  l< 'i    nto  the 

14  samfe  cotnpany,  battalion  or  regifncnt. 

Strike  out  the  2d  section,  and  insert : 

1  StC.  2.   The  officers  of  each  new  company  shall  be  ehipted  by 


2 

2  the  men  thereof;  and  the  field  officers  of  each  new  regiment  or 

3  battalion,  by  the  newly  elected  officers  of  the  companies  com- 

4  posing  it.     But  no  one  shall  be  eligible  to  the  captaincy  or  lieu- 

5  tenantcy  of  a  company,  who  was  not  an  officer  in  one  of  the 

6  companies  consolidated  into  it,  or  a  field  officer  or  adjutant  of 

7  one  of  the  battalions  or  regiments  to  which  said  companies  be- 
S  longed  ;  nor  shall  any  one  be  eligible  to  the  colonelcy,  lieu- 
9     tenant  colonelcy  or  majority  of  a  regiment  or  battalion,  except 

10  field  officers  of  the  commands  consolidated  into  it.     The  offi- 

11  cers  thus  elected  shall  forthwith  assume  their  respective  com- 

12  mands,  subject,  however,  to  the  approval  of  the  President,  who, 

13  if  he  disapprove  the  election  of  any  officer,  may,  with  the  advice 

14  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  appoint  to  the  vacancy  thus  created, 

15  any  one  who  was  originally  eligible  thereto. 

Further  amend,  by  adding  the  following  section : 

1  Sec.  6.    The  commissions  of  those  officers  who  may  be  elected 

2  to  the  same  grade  in  a  new  organization,  which  they  held  in 

3  an  old,  shall  date  from  the  day  of  their  original  appointment  to 

4  that  grade.     The  conmiissions  of  all  others  shall  date  from  the 

5  day  of  their  election  or  appointment  to  the  new  grade. 

1  Sec.  7.   Promotions  to  fill  vacancies  in  the  new  commands 

2  shall  be  made  by  the  departmental  commander,  subject  to  the 

3  approval  of  the  President ;  but  except  in  cases  of  urgent  neces- 

4  sity,  no  vacancy  shall  be  filled  in  any  company,  battalion  or 

5  regiment,  the  effective  strength  of  which  shall  be  less  than  half 


6  of  its  minimum  strength,  as  required  by  law ;  and  this  clause 

7  shall  be  so  construed  as  to  include  vacancies  in  the  grade  of 

8  /non-commissioned  officers. 

1  Sec.  8.   Prisoners  of  war,  men  detached  from  their  companies 

2  permanently,  or  for  an  indefinite  time,  by  disability,  detail,  or 

3  otherwise,  men  absent  without  leave,  and  deserters,  shall  not  be 

4  consolidated  with  the  new  companies ;  but  the  officer  consolidat- 

5  ing   their  companies  shall  forward    complete  rolls  of  all  such 

6  men  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  may,  upon  their  return  to 

7  duty,  transfer  them  to  any  company  from  their  own  State. 


I   3-rvv 


